Word on the street is (pun always intended) is that Microsoft is currently working on Gemini, a new set of updates for its Office productivity suite. This new version is said to include dedicated builds for Windows 8.1.

Microsoft’s roadmap for its Office releases suggests that the productivity suite is very likely to get not just more Metro apps, but special versions for iOS and Android as well.

This obviously has been a longstanding rumor — Microsoft Office on competing mobile platforms.

Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet believes that the future of Office suite of productivity applications boils down to three major releases. The first of which is very likely to see daylight later this year, at the same time (or soon after) Windows 8.1 makes its debut.

The software titan is as of this writing working on additional Metro versions of the apps in Office 2013, including major ones like Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Microsoft could use the public launch of Windows 8.1 to bring the new Metro Office apps into the spotlight. If this is to be the case then fall 2013 could be a key moment for the technology titan.

April 2014, on the other hand, is said to bring major improvements to Office for Mac and Office RT.

And then finally, another major Office release in October 2014, which could finally bring the productivity suite to both iOS and Android — just ahead of the public launch of Windows 9. Microsoft, apparently, is keen to expand its all-conquering solution beyond the Windows ecosystem.

From how things are shaping up, Office along with Windows could be in line for several updates in the next year or two.